How We Make Rockets That Reach the Moon

Join Dr. Roger Billings and the Science Live team as we explore how we make rockets that reach the Moon, featuring NASA’s Artemis II mission — the first crewed return to the Moon in over 50 years!

In this lesson, discover what makes the massive SLS rocket so powerful: its giant solid rocket boosters, liquid hydrogen fuel, and the incredible engineering that lifts millions of pounds into space. You’ll also explore the advanced Orion spacecraft, the groundbreaking laser communication system that beamed HD video from 240,000 miles away, and the record-breaking 252,000-mile journey that took humans farther from Earth than ever before.

Whether you’re a budding space enthusiast, curious about the Artemis program, learning about rocket science, or dreaming of becoming an astronaut, this lesson has something for you. Perfect for students who want to understand the real engineering and technology behind sending rockets — and people — all the way to the Moon and beyond!

➡️ r-51’s Martian Pet Rock Guide

About DrB

Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology. As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


Read more about DrB » 
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »

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10,467 Comments

  1. Amara

    r51 im will buy your merch

    Reply
  2. Adyson

    iLove rokets

    Reply
  3. Tanner

    Science live was cool.

    Reply
  4. Evan

    this video is cool

    Reply
  5. Aiden

    I love science live!!

    Reply
  6. Bentley

    I can’t imagine standing next to a rocket like that

    Reply
  7. Poke

    wow that was so cool.

    Reply
  8. Ashtyn

    very intresting video loved it cant wait for another one

    Reply
  9. Kodchayapat

    Hi from sf

    Reply
  10. Reiawna

    Science exploration is so cool. R51 is hilarious.

    Reply
  11. Wendy

    that is so cool

    Reply
  12. Ridley

    I watched NASA’s ship takeoff with my grandparents.

    Reply
  13. Carter

    I am so glad I watched this because I love space and I was curious on how we did that!

    Reply
  14. Ariella

    rockets are so cool!!!

    Reply
  15. Sarah

    Loved all of the space stuff this week!

    Reply
  16. Pyper

    How did we make rockets?

    Reply
  17. Hunter

    I LOVE ROCKETS

    Reply
  18. Miles

    Those science facts are really cool! Space is so amazing. :]

    Reply
  19. Orran

    Is it possible to send a pet rock back to the moon?

    Reply
  20. Nikki

    I love rockets so much! It would be amazing to go into one one day!

    Reply
  21. Zoey

    Wow rockets are so cool! I love space!

    Reply
  22. Joi

    Definitely one of my FAVS… Thank you guys soo much!!!!

    Reply
  23. Brooks

    R51 is so funny!

    Reply
  24. Mikenzie

    Really loved the deinosuchus. Wish they could’ve shown a picture of the skeleton model

    Reply
  25. Landon

    Interesting Live that’s for sure!

    Reply
  26. Wyatt

    I learned that you can send signals using lasers.

    Reply
  27. Gemma

    So interesting, thank you!

    Reply
  28. Orran

    pet rocks are some of the best pets

    Reply
  29. Landon

    Another great episode!

    Reply
  30. Caiden

    I love all the things I’m learning from Science Live.

    Reply
  31. Kassidy

    Amazing live this week.

    Reply
  32. Olivia

    R 51is so funny

    Reply
  33. Jovani

    I liked everything you talked about

    Reply
  34. Owen

    Science live teaches me a lot .

    Reply
  35. Eszekiel

    That was interesting.

    Reply
  36. Kendall

    Awesome science live! 🙂

    Reply
  37. Eliza

    love Science lives

    Reply
  38. Addy

    So so cool!

    Reply
  39. Karinn

    r51 is so funny hahaha!

    Reply
  40. Holly

    That moon rock that r51 made was really fascinating.

    Reply
  41. Sophi

    Thank you for the video!!

    Reply
  42. Carter

    I’m very interested in the new course I can’t wait!

    Reply
  43. Malia

    Is the new dinosaur as big as the T rex?

    Reply
  44. Bayleigh

    Hi I am here and the live was really good today

    Reply
  45. Emily

    Space is so fun. I love science.

    Reply
  46. Benjamin

    the size of the Artemis rocket was crazy!

    Reply
  47. Anastasia

    The chemical in the solid rockets on the side boosters of the Artemis spaceship is, Ammonium Perchlorate

    Reply
  48. Chloe

    I love science live videos!!!

    Reply
  49. Aaron

    How much did it cost to make it

    Reply
  50. Alyssa

    I love rockets they are so fascinating anything that has to do with space I love it!

    Reply
  51. Hank

    cool moon rock

    Reply
  52. Mohamed

    I love the R-51 rocket. I think we need a skit on how to make the cardboard kind

    Reply
  53. Andrew

    Comment I love rockets

    Reply
  54. Brynlee

    Science live is always the best!!!!!!!

    Reply
  55. Korbin

    R51 is so cool

    Reply
  56. Asher

    I need to know where to buy R-51 moon rocks because I can’t find them on Amazon???

    Reply
  57. Emma

    fav one yet

    Reply
  58. Atticus

    i liked how the rocket ship was in space it was so cool you make me learn a lot.

    Reply
  59. David

    Amazing how technology advances.

    Reply
  60. Kaleb

    Those rockets looked so so big in some of the pictures! That is so cool.

    Reply
  61. Isaias

    r51 is always hilarious

    Reply
  62. Kaia

    I love ittttttt

    Reply
  63. Zoey

    I love Science Live!!

    Reply
  64. Clara

    The new Highschool English course seems so cool!

    Reply
  65. Ansel

    i love science

    Reply
  66. Samuel

    What an incredible year it has been for the exploration of space! How exciting it was too watch the Artimis II mission unfold before the worlds eyes!

    Reply
  67. Izabella

    i actually find this really interesting.

    Reply
  68. Gavin

    super interesting today!

    Reply
  69. Mikaela

    hii im here from ct

    Reply
  70. Tereza

    Wow! So interesting! Love it!

    Reply
  71. Hannah

    Science live is so cool!! Two more weeks till I finish school!

    Reply
  72. Lilyann

    I love learning

    Reply
  73. Jakub

    I have always been interested in rocket science, also loved to watch launch countdowns as a little kid!

    Reply
  74. Brooklyn

    I wish I could go to space! When I was younger, it was my dream job to be an astronaut!

    Reply
  75. Kyleigh

    I loved hearing about the Artemis II mission!! And R51 and the moon rocks was so silly!!

    Reply
  76. Lylah

    Science is so cool!

    Reply
  77. Vance

    another amazing video

    Reply
  78. Leila

    Loved this episode!

    Reply
  79. Seth

    Space is an adventure

    Reply
  80. Henry

    I loved learning about the rocket!

    Reply
  81. Ilan

    The sheer calculations and precision required for successful space missions like these is unfathomable!

    Reply
  82. Gemma

    I watched the space mission live, it was so cool didn’t know about the eclipse part though!

    Reply
  83. Katie

    May u do a Area 51 video on how to make a T-shirt for amazon to sell? I don’t know how, and would like to put my crafty skills to work… THANKS!

    Reply
  84. Adalie

    l LOVE SCIENCE LIVE!

    Reply
  85. Rosily

    what kinds of airplanes?

    Reply
  86. Elias

    i love science live

    Reply
  87. Tate

    The space capsel looks so cool!

    Reply
  88. Nikola

    GREAT EPISODE!

    Reply
  89. Elijah

    It was great

    Reply
  90. Baylynn

    big r. had a space rock from the moon and the Soler eclipse and how they made it within 6 minets and how Thay communicated with lazer beems.

    Reply
  91. Aracela

    i love rockets.

    Reply
  92. Benny

    this was a cool video!

    Reply
  93. Tiara

    science is amazing

    Reply
  94. Madden

    I would like to know how long it takes to transfer the videos in outer space back down to Earth.

    Reply
  95. Tate

    I love r51

    Reply
  96. Emily

    The space stuff is so interesting!

    Reply
  97. Mekhi

    Comment I learned a lot from this video thank you so much

    Reply
  98. Alexandra

    We love R51 and spaceships !

    Reply
  99. Finnegan

    Great science live! cool to hear about the reconstruction of the skeleton of the ancient giant crocodile using fossils.

    Reply
  100. Audrey

    Super good science live!!!

    Reply
  101. Elise

    I liked this episode!

    Reply
  102. Finnley

    How many rockets where built?

    Reply
  103. Gracelynn

    I love r51 and the moon rock

    Reply
  104. Jordyn

    Such an amazing such interesting episode.

    Reply
  105. Thoryn

    Moon rocks would actuly most lickly smell like rust metal and the moons atmoshpere if it has one

    Reply
  106. Kyndall

    Interesting!

    Reply
  107. Hailey

    this was amazin!

    Reply
  108. Ella

    hi from TN

    Reply
  109. Kaedyn

    R5 10 is so funny!

    Reply
  110. Oliver

    that was a good video r51…….

    Reply
  111. Noa

    I wonder if we could measure the distance from the earth to mars how much farther it would be then the distance to the moon

    Reply
  112. Zoey

    Hi from TN

    Reply
  113. Maison

    I’m going to miss these science lives!

    Reply
  114. Gunner

    I wanna buy r51’s moon rocks looks legit to me!

    Reply
  115. Grace

    I thought r51 rocks were funny. I am going to paint one now.

    Reply
  116. Kallie

    I love all things space.

    Reply
  117. Elijah

    i love rockets

    Reply
  118. Toby

    Science live seams very repetitive reusing the same subject 😛

    Reply
  119. Dakota

    I love on how you talked about Elon Musk’s dream of colinizing mars

    Reply
  120. Percy

    The dinosucus is the best dinosaur

    Reply
  121. Vicente

    Love the videos, love how y’all explain things so simply.

    Reply
  122. Tucker

    I think that this is fun and interesting video .

    Reply
  123. Ryker

    This science live was great so cool to learn about rockets going into space.

    Reply
  124. Angel

    Thank you for this weeks video!

    Reply
  125. Katie

    Hey ya’ll! I want to make a super awesome shirt for amazon to help me sell but don’t know where to start…
    – How do I get started? Do I use a paper and draw my descine?
    – I NEED to make money for buying a car AND buying a house ANNNNNNNNNNND have emergency money for incase of an injury or an accsedent.
    – Can u please make a TO- DO list on making a shirt to sell?
    THANKSSSSSSSS!

    Reply
  126. Hailey

    Rockets are so cool!

    Reply
  127. Sawyer

    This lesson was so cool.

    Reply
  128. Conner

    I didn’t know the moon was that close.

    Reply
  129. Sarah

    I love space science and rockets, so this is one of the best videos ever!!

    Reply
  130. Jeremiah

    Hello! Jeremiah from Ohio! I’m looking forward to this video!

    Reply
  131. Ecko

    the moon rock was so awesome

    Reply
  132. Koen

    I found it facinating how we went around the earth before going to the moon, and how that was just a test to make sure all systems were a go. I also had no idea that we had that many precautions when it came to safety features, such as the nose of the rocket and how it was able to guide the small capsule back down to earth if anything were to have gone wrong.
    I had no idea that we used solid fuel in both of the side rockets, I wonder if it made it a more dense? Or if it was cheaper and they only wanted one burn on those to rockets anyway.

    Reply
  133. Malakie

    From m.s.

    Reply
  134. Grace

    I thought r51 rocketship was cool.

    Reply
  135. Kair

    I saw the Artimus Launch from the beach in Florida. It was way cool

    Reply
  136. Amaree

    Great science video!!

    Reply
  137. Willow

    What is the current position of the Artemis 11 from the perspective of earth?

    Reply
  138. Leslie

    R51. I love you.

    Reply
  139. Samuel

    i love science live!

    Reply
  140. Jalisa

    I love this video

    Reply
  141. Noah

    Such an interesting lesson today!

    Reply
  142. Aurora

    I love the Moon!!!

    Reply
  143. Raife

    r51 is so cool and funny

    Reply
  144. Aiden

    It’s scary to think that an alligator was able to grow 30 feet long.

    Reply
  145. Makayla

    I love science live!

    Reply
  146. Henry

    super cool stuff!

    Reply
  147. Ashley

    It’s crazy how far the rocket was from earth!

    Reply
  148. Roary

    I love space, and the moon. Cool video!

    Reply
  149. Leslie

    I Love science live. It is the best.

    Reply
  150. Trace

    how much gas do u have to have going to the moon?

    Reply
  151. Jake

    Fun video! I’m so happy we have science live.

    Reply
  152. Rory

    Hi i enjoyed watching tonight to next wednesday.

    Reply
  153. Emmalyn

    I loved the moon rocks that r51 made!

    Reply
  154. Emma

    The moon rock was the best part!

    Reply
  155. Robert

    Going to space would be awesome!
    I love the galaxy!

    Reply
  156. Benjamin

    rockets rock they are so cool to see. one time we went some place to eat to see a rocket launch but it was going to rain so they cancel it but we went to some museum and saw some rockets and we did a vr headset thing it was very fun also this was very very cool! yall are amazing and this is truly the best program out there!

    Reply
  157. Gary

    I would really like to hear more about rocket ships.

    Reply
  158. Aiden

    this is cool

    Reply
  159. Caleb

    Science Live is so fun!!!!!!

    Reply
  160. Allison

    I enjoyed learning about the Orion spacecraft. I like learning about space. I also liked watching R-51 today.

    Reply
  161. Tobin

    I love every science live!

    Reply
  162. Justin

    i like the rocketship its cool it can go to mars in just a couple days!

    Reply
  163. Hailey

    That’s interesting.

    Reply
  164. Tyler

    The solid state fuel used by the Artemis rocket is Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant. What a mouthful!

    Reply
  165. Ryden

    I love r51! Also, I just finished 3rd grade and I’m so proud of myself! Hello, from Canyon Lake, Tx

    Reply
  166. Brylyn

    Great video! You can always count on these to be very informational and interesting.

    Reply
  167. Tatianna

    Todays video made me want to go to the moon too.🌙 Science live is very inspiring!

    Reply
  168. Marlow

    What if someone took the genetic structure of an Alligator or a crocodile and applied the skeletal structure of the dinosaur that science live talked about and recreated the dinosaur.

    Reply
  169. Jackson

    I love science live!

    Reply
  170. Valerie

    I learned that the center part of the rocket is orange because it has special insulation to keep things cold.

    Reply
  171. Ava

    Wow, that’s a heavy rocket!

    Reply
  172. Gavin

    Thanks for another great video!

    Reply
  173. Edison

    Artemis 2s launch was awesome.

    Reply
  174. Preston

    So what happens to the parts that detach? And are they recovered or just left in space or in the ocean?

    Reply
  175. Vivienna

    I’m so excited about the new course. When is it coming out? And can you take a look? Every time I leave a comment, the video restarts frome the beginning.

    Reply

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